Parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm

Independance

1 October 1978 (from the UK)

Area

26.00 km2

Land Area

26.00 km2

Population

10,959.00

Location

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia

GDP(PPP)

$39,000,000.00 (USD)

GDP (Per Capita)

$3,500.00 (USD)

Export Commodities

Its main exports are copra and fish.

Import Commodities

Its major imports include food, animals, mineral fuels, and machinery.

Climate

Tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

Terrain

Low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Where is Tuvalu?

Located in Oceania, Tuvalu is an island nation. It has a 24.00 km coastline.

The capital city of Tuvalu is Funafuti. The town has a population of 6,025 people which comprises 56.6% of Tuvalu’s inhabitants. As a result, Funafuti is the country’s most populous town. Besides the high population, the city is also charming attracting mostly business persons. Some of the interesting sites to visit are the Morning Star Church, Funafuti International Airport, and Vaiaku Langi Hotel. Funafuti features a tropical climate. It receives high amounts of rainfall averaging 3,483 mm annually. The wet seasons are December-March while the dry seasons are from May-October.

Tuvalu is an Oceanian country covering 26.00 km2. This makes it the 4th smallest country in the world and about 105 times smaller than Rhode Island. Its geographic coordinates are 8 00 S, 178 00 E and Funafuti is the capital city.

The country's name means "group of eight" or "eight standing together".

Its ISO code is TV.

Geography

Tuvalu has a mean elevation of 0 m above sea level.

It has a tropical climate that is usually rainy, with two dry seasons from December to February and June to August. Its terrain is low-lying with narrow coral atolls.

Population

Tuvalu has a population of 10,959 making it the 221st largest in the world.

Tuvalu and English are both official languages. The ethnic majority is Polynesian. The majority of the population is Protestant Christian.

Tuvalu has two languages with are both used for official purposes.The languages are English and Tuvaluan. Most residents speak Tuvaluan while very few speak English. As a result, it became necessary to use both languages in government, business, media, and education. 96% of the residents of Tuvalu are Polynesian language speakers while 4% are Micronesian speakers. The minority languages used in the state of Tuvalu are Gilbertese, Kiribati, and Samoan.

Government

Tuvalu is an independent country. It gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1978. Its constitution was last ratified in 1982.

Tuvalu is a monarchy. It is governed by the Queen who is represented by the governor general within the country. Furthermore, the state has a prime minister who is appointed by the parliament. Elections take place in Tuvalu to vote for members of parliament.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Tuvalu's GDP is $39,000,000.00 (USD) with $3,500.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 224th largest economy and its citizens the 177th richest in the world. The currency of Tuvalu is the Dollar (AUD).

Its major imports include food, animals, mineral fuels, and machinery.

Flag

The designer of the flag of Tuvalu was Vione Natano. The government adopted the flag in 1978 when it became a sovereign state. The flag of Tuvalu is predominantly sky blue with a Union Jack and nine yellow stars on it. The nine stars are the nine islands which make up the state of Tuvalu. On the other hand, the light blue color represents the Pacific Ocean. The Union Jack alludes to the past relationship of Tuvalu with the UK as a British protectorate. Previous flags of Tuvalu have had some changes such as the omission of one star and the Union Jack from the flag in 1996. The residents of Tuvalu did not welcome these changes. Consequently, the flag was reversed to its previous design.